Bo Nix

Jayden Daniels is one of the quarterbacks likely to be off the board in the first round at the 2024 NFL draft, thanks in large part to his Heisman Trophy-winning season, but not everybody thinks he should be selected so early.

"I don't personally have a first-round grade on Daniels," an AFC East evaluator told ESPN's Matt Miller, "but he's in the early second for me, and teams will probably over-draft him."

That evaluator envisioned three to four quarterbacks going in the first round, with Daniels one of the players right on the edge.

"[Caleb] Williams, [Drake] Maye, [J.J.] McCarthy, Daniels... and Bo Nix does some nice things, too," a general manager told Miller. "I think you look at those five solidly."

Daniels turned heads this past season, throwing for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and just four interceptions, completing 72.2 percent of his passes. Those would be gaudy numbers on their own, but he also rushed for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.

So he isn't going to be on the board long. The question is whether he'll entice a team enough to select him in the first round, or slide to the second.

The 2023 Heisman Trophy results are in and it was an extremely close finish.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels won the 2023 award, becoming the third Tigers player to win the prestigious award. He received 503 first-place votes and 2,029 overall points. Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was the runner up, earning 292 first-place votes and earning 1,701 points.

This was the closest Heisman race since 2018, per the broadcast. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix finished in third place with 51 first place votes and 885 points, while Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison was last among the finalists with 20 first place votes and 352 points.

Jordan Travis, Jalen Milroe, Ollie Gordon II, Cody Schrader, Blake Corum and J.J. McCarthy rounded out the Top-10.

Daniels took home the award after a sensational season for the Tigers. He threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with just four interceptions while also adding 1,134 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He helped lead LSU to a 9-3 record and a berth in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Penix statistics were excellent as well, as he threw for 4,218 yards with 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He led the Huskies to a 13-0 record and a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Daniels is the fifth quarterback to win the award in the past seven years who transferred, per the Associated Press. Unless he opts to play in the Tigers bowl game, he will finish his career with 12,749 passing yards, 89 passing touchdowns, 3,307 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns.

While the status of Daniels and Harrison for their respective bowl games are undecided, fans will get one more opportunity to see Nix as he plans to play in the Ducks' Fiesta Bowl matchup against Liberty. Penix will have at least one more collegiate game as well, as the No. 2 Huskies prepare to play No. 3 Texas in the Cotton Bowl with a berth in the National Championship game on the line.

One of LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Oregon quarterback Bo Nix or Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will join one of college football's most prestigious clubs.

They were named finalists for the 2023 Heisman Trophy, which will be handed out during the annual ceremony on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

While Harrison made a push for the trophy at times this season, it is all but guaranteed that a quarterback will continue the trend of winning the award. After all, signal-callers have taken home the Heisman in 19 of the last 23 years since 2000.

Daniels, Penix and Nix seemed to separate themselves as the season progressed. Even Alabama's Jalen Milroe made a late charge thanks to the Crimson Tide's dramatic win over rival Auburn and stunning victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

Daniels is the significant favorite at this point.

Unlike Penix, Nix, Milroe, Harrison and others, Daniels wasn't playing in the middle of the College Football Playoff race down the stretch after LSU lost to Florida State, Ole Miss and Alabama in the first nine games.

However, his numbers were impossible to ignore.

He completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 1,134 yards and 10 scores on the ground. Even in his team's three losses, he accounted for a combined seven touchdown passes, two touchdown runs and two interceptions all while the Tigers defense struggled to make any key stops.

Penix figures to be Daniels' biggest competition after he defeated Nix in both of their head-to-head showdowns this season.

Friday's Pac-12 Championship Game was essentially a College Football Playoff play-in contest and an opportunity for both quarterbacks to impress on the national stage. It seemed like Nix was going to have the upper hand when the Ducks overcame a 20-3 deficit to take a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Penix directed a 75-yard touchdown drive and 82-yard touchdown drive on back-to-back possessions.

That put the Huskies up for good, and the result was a Pac-12 championship and CFP spot.

Even if it wasn't enough for a Heisman Trophy, Penix will surely take that trade-off as he prepares for a run at the national championship.

Oregon's 34-31 loss to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game may have been Bo Nix's final start in college.

Speaking to reporters after the defeat, Nix wasn't ready to say if he would play in the Ducks' bowl game.

"Can we just enjoy the moment right now and enjoy our season?" Nix asked. "That's not today's decision. I have no idea."

The Ducks had an opportunity to make the top four in the College Football Playoff with a win on Friday night. They entered the game 11-1 and No. 5 in the playoff rankings, with their lone defeat coming on the road against Washington on Oct. 14.

Losing to the Huskies for a second time guarantees Oregon won't crack the top 4 in the final College Football Playoff rankings that will be released on Sunday.

Nix and the Ducks did a great job of making the game competitive in the second half. Washington dominated the first half, taking a 20-3 lead at one point before Oregon got a touchdown late in the second quarter.

Oregon scored touchdowns on two of its first three possessions in the third quarter to go up 24-20. The Huskies responded by getting into the end zone on back-to-back drives to take a 10-point lead.

After the Ducks went 75 yards in two plays to make it a 34-31 game with 2:14 remaining, Washington got the ball back and picked up two first downs to run out the clock.

Stewart Mandel and Scott Dochterman of The Athletic noted Oregon will likely play in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.

Nix will likely be one of the four Heisman finalists after a fantastic season. He's thrown for 4,145 yards, 40 touchdowns and completed 77.2 percent of his attempts in 13 games.

A fifth-year senior, Nix is the NCAA's all-time leader with 60 career starts. He spent his first three years at Auburn before transferring to Oregon in December 2021. He has a 21-5 record in 26 games with the Ducks.

College football's award season is upon us, with Bo Nix of Oregon, Jayden Daniels of LSU and Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State leading the list of finalists.

Here are the list of nominees in several key categories:

Walter Camp National Player of the Year

• Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
• Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
• Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

Maxwell Award (Player of the Year)

• Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
• Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
• Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

Davey O'Brien Award (Best QB)

• Bo Nix, Oregon
• Jayden Daniels, LSU
• Michael Penix Jr., Washington

Biletnikoff Award (Best Receiver)

• Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
• Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
• Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
  

Doak Walker Award (Best RB)

• Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
• Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
  
• Cody Schrader, Missouri
  

Jim Thorpe Award (Best DB)

• Cooper DeJean, Iowa
• Malaki Starks, Georgia
  
• Trey Taylor, Air Force
  

Mackey Award (Best TE)

• Brock Bowers, Georgia
• Dallin Holker, Colorado State
  
• Cade Stover, Ohio State
  

Outland Trophy (Best OL/Interior DL)

• Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame 
• Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State 
• T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas

Lou Groza Award (Best Kicker)

• Graham Nicholson, Miami (Ohio)
• Will Reichard, Alabama
  
• Jose Pizano, UNLV
  

Ray Guy Award (Best Punter)

• Matt Hayball, Vanderbilt
• Alex Mastromanno, Florida State
  
• Tory Taylor, Iowa
  

One of the most notable takeaways from the list of finalists is it seems to give a strong indication of who the top three finalists for the 2023 Heisman Trophy will be.

Daniels, Nix and Michael Penix Jr. are finalists in three different categories, including both Player of the Year awards. They are the top three betting favorites for the Heisman, so it won't end up being a surprise if they're finalists for the award when the official announcement is made on Dec. 4.

The 2023 Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday could also swing the awards race. Penix and the Huskies will take on Nix and the Ducks with the winner potentially earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Washington already has a win over Oregon earlier this season. Both quarterbacks were terrific in the game, combining for 639 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in the Huskies' 36-33 victory.

The fourth spot in the Heisman race is up for grabs. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is fourth in the betting odds, and he would likely close the gap on the top three if he can lead the Crimson Tide to a win over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday.

Harrison might be able to sneak in after being named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, but it could be difficult since Ohio State won't be playing this weekend. The Buckeyes junior has stiff competition in the Biletnikoff race from LSU's Malik Nabers and Washington's Rome Odunze.

Nabers leads the nation with 1,546 receiving yards, 120 more than any other player, and is tied with three other players for second in touchdown catches with 14. Odunze is fourth in receiving yards (1,326) and sixth in touchdowns (13).

ESPN will air the 2023 College Football Awards Show on Dec. 8.